Genesis Rabbah 26

¹“Noah was five hundred years old and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Yefet” (Genesis 5:32). “Noah was five hundred years old” – it is written: “Happy is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the wicked” (Psalms 1:1). “Happy is the man” – this is Noah. “Who has not walked in the counsel of the wicked, has not stood in the path of sinners [and has not sat in the company of scoffers]” (Psalms 1:1), Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya, Rabbi Yehuda says: In three generations – in the generation of Enosh, the generation of the Flood, and the generation of the Dispersion. Rabbi Neḥemya says: In the generation of the Flood and the generation of the Dispersion, but as for the generation of Enosh, he was still a minor. According to the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda, who said: “Happy is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the wicked,” this is the generation of Enosh; “has not stood in the path of sinners,” this is the generation of the Flood; “and has not sat in the company of scoffers,” this is the generation of the Dispersion; “but whose desire is in the Torah of the Lord” (Psalms 1:2) – these are the seven mitzvot that he [Noah] was commanded; “and he meditates on His Torah day and night” (Psalms 1:2) – as he derived one matter from another. He said: ‘What is the reason that the Holy One blessed be He set the number of the pure animals more than the impure animals? Is it not because He wants me to sacrifice an offering from them?’ Immediately, “he took from every pure animal…[and offered up offerings]” (Genesis 8:20). “He will be like a tree planted by streams of water” (Psalms 1:3), as the Holy One blessed be He implanted him in the ark; “which gives its fruit in season” (Psalms 1:3), this is Shem; “whose leaf does not wither” (Psalms 1:3), this is Ḥam; “and whatever he does he will prosper” (Psalms 1:3), this is Yefet. ²“Noah begot three sons, Shem, Ḥam, and Yefet” (Genesis 6:10).It is written: “Planted in the House of the Lord, they blossom in the courts of our God” (Psalms 92:14). “Planted in the House of the Lord,” this is Noah, whom the Holy One blessed be He implanted in the ark; “they blossom in the courts of our God,” – “Noah begot…Shem, Ḥam, and Yefet.” “They will continue to yield fruit even in old age; they will remain full and fresh” (Psalms 92:15). “They will continue to yield fruit [even in old age],” this is Noah; “they will remain full and fresh” – “Noah begot.” Rabbi Yudan said: What is the reason that all the generations begot children at one hundred years or at two hundred years, but this one [Noah] begot at five hundred years? However, the Holy One blessed be He said: ‘If they will be wicked, I do not want them to be eradicated by the water; if they will be righteous, I would be imposing upon him [Noah] to make several arks for them. So the Holy One blessed be He suppressed his [Noah’s] fount, and he begot only at five hundred years. Rabbi Neḥemya said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili: [It was so that] even Yefet, who was the eldest, would not yet be one hundred years old – when he became subject to punishment – when the Flood came. Rabbi Ḥanina said: In the future there will be no death except for idolaters. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Neither for Israel, nor for idolaters, as it is stated: “[He will destroy death forever, and] the Lord God will wipe tears from all faces” (Isaiah 25:8). What does Rabbi Ḥanina do with “from all faces”? It is from the faces of Israel. But is it not written: “As the youth will die when he is one hundred years old”? (Isaiah 65:20). This supports Rabbi Ḥanina. What does Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi do with it? [It means that at that age] he will be fit for punishment. But is it not written: “Like sheep, they are destined for the grave; death will shepherd them. The upright will rule over them”? (Psalms 49:15). This supports Rabbi Ḥanina. What does Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi do with it? Because in this world, there was Pharaoh at his time, Sisera at his time, Sennacherib at his time, but in the future, the Holy One blessed be He will appoint the angel of death as the permanent sentry. That is what is written: “The upright will rule over them in the morning; their form will be consumed in the grave, an abode [ zevul ] for him” (Psalms 49:15) – this teaches that the grave may wear away, but their bodies will not wear away. Why to that extent? [“An abode for him”] – because they extended their hands against the Temple, as it is written: “I have built You an abode [ zevul ]” (I Kings 8:13). ³“Noah begot three sons, Shem, Ḥam, and Yefet” – but was Yefet not the eldest?, Initially, however, you should deal with the one who was righteous, born circumcised, the one whom the Holy One blessed be He associated His name with him, from whom Abraham was destined to descend, who served as High Priest, 56:10). and in whose territory the Temple was built. 56:10). Shimon bar Ḥuta said: [Shem takes precedence] because the Holy One blessed be He delayed the punishment [of the post-Flood generation], from the Flood until the Dispersion, the numerical value of his letters – three hundred and forty years. 38:2) that states that they began building the Tower of Babel immediately after the Flood. ⁴“It was when man began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them” (Genesis 6:1). “It was when man began [ heḥel ],” Rabbi Simon said: In three places this language is stated as an expression of rebellion: “then commenced [ huḥal ] proclaiming the name of the Lord” (Genesis 4:26); “it was when man began [ heḥel ]”; “he began [ heḥel ] to be a mighty one in the earth” (Genesis 10:8). They raised an objection to him: But is it not written [as well]: “And this is what they have begun [ haḥilam ] to do” (Genesis 11:6)? He struck upon the head of Nimrod and said of him: ‘This is the one who incited them to rebel against Me.’ “To multiply on the face of the earth,” [this teaches] that they would spill their seed on trees and stones. Because they were steeped in sexual profligacy, that is the reason He increased the number of their females. That is what is written: “It was when man began…daughters were born to them.” The wife of Rabbi Shimon son of Rabbi (Ami), bore a female offspring. Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great saw him and said to him: ‘The Holy One blessed be He has begun to bless you!’ He said to him: ‘From where do you know this?’ He said to him: ‘As it is written: “It was when man began to multiply…and daughters were born to them.”’ He went to his father, [Rabbi], who said to him: ‘Did that Babylonian gladden you?’ He said to him: ‘Yes, and this is what he said to me.’ He said to him: ‘Nevertheless, even though there is a need for wine and a need for vinegar, there is more need for wine than for vinegar. There is a need for wheat and a need for barley, but there is more need for wheat than for barley.’ When a man marries his daughter and pays out his [marriage] expenditures, he says to her: ‘May you never return here!’ Rabban Gamliel married off his daughter. She said to him: ‘Father, pray for me.’ He said to her: ‘May you never return here!’ She bore a male offspring and said to him: ‘Father, pray for me.’ He said to her: ‘May the word ‘Woe’ never cease from your mouth!’ She said to him: ‘Father, upon the two joyous occasions that I experienced you cursed me!’ He said to her: ‘Both of them are prayers. Because there will be peace in your house, you will never return here. And because your son will live long, the word ‘Woe’ will not cease from your mouth: Woe that my son did not drink yet, woe that my son did not eat yet, woe that my son did not go to the synagogue!’ ⁵“The children of the great men [ benei haelohim ] saw the daughters of man, that they were fair, and they took for themselves wives, from whomever they chose” (Genesis 6:2). “The children of the great men [ benei haelohim ] saw,” Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai called them [when translating this verse into Aramaic] “the children of judges.” Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai used to curse anyone who would call them [translating the words literally, as] “children of god.” can mean either “God” or “judge” (Exodus 22:8), but in Aramaic Elohaya can only mean “God,” so translating the word in this manner would be blasphemous. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai taught: Any breach [in morals] that is not [begun] by prominent men is not a breach. [The saying goes:] If the priests steal the idols, who will ever take an oath in their names, or who will ever sacrifice to them? Why are these [great men] referred to as benei haelohim ? Rabbi Ḥanina and Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, both of them say: It is because they lived long lives without pain and without suffering. [And why were they granted such extraordinarily long lives?] Rabbi Ḥana said in the name of Rabbi Yosei: In order to track astronomical phenomena and [make the relevant] calculations. The Rabbis say: So that they would receive theirs and that of the coming generations. “That they were fair [ tovot ]” – Rabbi Yudan said: The word is written tovot [without vavs ]. When they would adorn a woman for her [marriage to her] husband, the prominent man would enter and consort with her first, [before her husband]. That is what is written: “That they were fair [ tovot ]” – these are the unmarried girls. “They took for themselves wives from whomever they chose” – these are married women. “From whomever they chose” – these are males and animals. Rabbi Huna said in the name of Rabbi: The generation of the Flood was not obliterated from the world until they wrote marriage contracts for males and animals. Rabbi Simlai said: Anywhere sexual immorality is found, a chaotic catastrophe comes to the world, which kills the righteous along with the wicked. Rabbi Azarya and Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Simon said in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi: The Holy One blessed be He is slow to anger regarding everything except for sexual immorality. What is the source? “The children of the great men [ benei haelohim ] saw….” What is written [immediately] thereafter? “The Lord said: I will obliterate man” (Genesis 6:7). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said in the name of bar Pedaya [regarding Lot and the people of Sodom]: All night long, Lot was begging [the angels] for mercy for the people of Sodom, and they were receptive to him. [But] once they [the people of Sodom] said: “Bring them out to us, that we may know them” (Genesis 19:5), meaning, by sexual relations, they [the angels] said to him: “Whom else do you have [here] [ po ]” (Genesis 19:12), [meaning, what else can there possibly be in your mouth [ peh ]] to plea in their favor?’ From here on, it is impossible for you to plea in their favor. ⁶“The Lord said: My spirit will not abide in man for eternity, for he too is flesh and his days will be one hundred and twenty years” (Genesis 6:3). “The Lord said: My spirit will not abide [ yadon ] in man,” Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yosei said: I will not place My spirit in them when I give the reward of the righteous in the future, about which it is stated: “I will place My spirit in them” (Ezekiel 36:27). Rabbi Yanai and Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, both of them said: In the future, there will be no Gehenna; rather, there will be a day that [through its heat] will burn the wicked. What is the source? “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, and all the criminals and all the doers of wickedness will be as straw; the day that is coming will burn them” (Malachi 3:19). The Rabbis say: There will be Gehenna, as it is stated: “The utterance of the Lord, for whom there is a fire in Zion and a furnace for Him in Jerusalem” (Isaiah 31:9). Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Ilai said: There will be neither a [hot] day nor Gehenna, but rather there will be a fire that will emerge from the body of the wicked one himself and burn him, as it is stated: “Conceive stubble, give birth to straw, your spirit is a fire that will consume you” (Isaiah 33:11). Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Ilai said: What is, “My spirit will not abide [ yadon ]”? These spirits will never come before Me for judgment. Rabbi Huna said in the name of Rav Aḥa: When I restore the spirit [of man] to its scabbard [ nadan ], I will not return their spirit to their scabbards. Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: I will not fill them up with My spirit when I fill mankind up with My spirit, because in this world the spirit is infused in only one limb [the heart], but in the future, it will be infused throughout the body. That is what is written: “I will place My spirit within you” (Ezekiel 36:27). Rabbi Yudan ben Beteira said: I [God] will never again judge man with this sentence. Rav Huna said in the name of Rabbi Yosef: “I will not continue [to curse the ground because of man … and I will not continue [to smite all life as I have done]” (Genesis 8:21) –it is powerful, it is powerful. The Rabbis say: “I will not continue” – for the [present] sons of Noah; “and I will not continue” – for [future] generations. [God said:] ‘I had said that My spirit would hold sway [ dana ] over them, but they did not want [this]; therefore, I will cause them to be entangled [ meshagem ] with suffering. I had said that My spirit would control them, but they did not disavow [their sinful ways]; therefore I will cause them to be entangled [ meshagem ] with one another,’ as Rabbi Elazar said: The only one who incurs liability for harming a human is one who is a human like him. Rabbi Natan said: Wolves and dogs also. Rabbi Huna bar Guryon said: Even a rod, even a strap. That is what is written: “For the yoke of its burden and the bar on its shoulder, the rod that oppresses it, You have broken as on the day of Midyan [ keyom midyan ]” (Isaiah 9:3) – on the day of judgment [ beyom hadin ]. Rabbi Aḥa said: Even non-fruit bearing trees are destined to give a reckoning. The Rabbis say [this same concept] from here: “For man is like the tree of the field” (Deuteronomy 20:19) – just as man gives a reckoning, so, too, trees give a reckoning. Rabbi Yehoshua bar Neḥemya said: [God said:] ‘I will not judge their spirit separately, as they are flesh and blood, but I will bring upon them a shortening of the years that I had allotted them in this world, and then I will cause them to be entangled [ meshagem ] with suffering.’ Rabbi Aivu said: [God said:] ‘Who caused them to rebel against Me, is it not because I did not cause them to be entangled [ meshagem ] with suffering?’ This door, what keeps it standing? It is its hinges [ shegam ]. Rabbi Elazar said: Anyplace where there is no justice, there is justice. Rabbi Beivai son of Rabbi Ami, in accordance with the approach of Rabbi Elazar: “My spirit will not abide” [ Lo yadon, ruḥi ].” ], My spirit [ ruḥi ] will judge. Rabbi Meir said: [God said:] ‘They did not exercise the attribute of justice below, so I will not exercise the attribute of justice On High.’ That is what is written: “Behold, their remnant has gone away from them, and they die without wisdom” (Job 4:21) – without the wisdom of the Torah. “From morning to evening they are broken; forever unnoticed [ mibeli mesim ], they perish” (Job 4:20) – mesim is nothing other than judgment, just as it says: “These are the ordinances that you shall place [ tasim ] before them” (Exodus 21:1). Rabbi Yosei HaGelili said: I will not judge them with the attribute of justice along with a corresponding attribute of mercy. Rabbi says: “He said” – the generation of the Flood said to the Lord: ‘He shall not judge [us]!’ is being interpreted as: “They said: Hashem, He shall not judge us!” Rabbi Akiva said: “Why has the wicked man mocked God, saying to himself: You will not seek” (Psalms 10:13) – [by this that man means:] there is no justice and no Judge. However, in fact there is justice and there is a Judge. Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa said: Even Noah, who survived from among them, it is not that he was worthy, but rather, the Holy One blessed be He foresaw that Moses was destined to descend from him, as it is stated: “For he too [ Beshagam ]” – this is an allusion to Moses, as the numerical value of this word [ beshagam ] is the same numerical value as that word [ Moshe ]. The Rabbis derive it from here: “His days will be one hundred and twenty years” – and Moses lives one hundred and twenty years. ⁷“The giants were on the earth in those days, and also thereafter, when the children of the great ones consorted with the daughters of man, and they bore them children; they are the mighty who were from ancient times, the men of renown” (Genesis 6:4). “The giants were on the earth in those days.” They were called by seven names: Eimim , Refa’im , Giborim , Zamzumim , Anakim , Avim , Nefilim . Eimim – as anyone who saw them, fear of them [ eimatan ] would descend upon them. Refa’im – as anyone who saw them, his heart would become soft [ rafeh ] like wax. Giborim – Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said, in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: The marrow of the femur of one of them measured eighteen cubits. Zamzumim – Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina said: Intimidating military commanders. is because they would be constantly ready [ mezumanim ] for battle. Anakim – the Rabbis and Rabbi Aḥa, the Rabbis say: They would wear numerous necklaces upon necklaces [ anakim ]. is one of the words for necklace. Rabbi Aḥa said: It was as though they wore the sun as a necklace, and said: ‘[Go away and] let the rain fall upon us.’ Avim – as they brought annihilation upon the world and were themselves annihilated from the world, as they caused the world to be annihilated, just as it says: “A ruin, a ruin, a ruin [ ava ] I will render it” (Ezekiel 21:32). Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Shimon said: Because they were as expert in soil as snakes, as in the Galilee they call snakes avya . Nefilim – as they toppled [ hipilu ] the world, fell from the world, and filled the world with stillborns [ nefalim ] with their immorality. “And also thereafter,” Yehuda bar Rav Ami said: The later [generations] did not learn from the earlier ones; the generation of the Flood did not learn from the generation of Enosh, and the generation of the Dispersion did not learn from the generation of the Flood. “And also thereafter, when the children of the great ones consorted with the daughters of man,” Rabbi Berekhya said: A woman would go out to the marketplace and would see a young man and desire him. She would go and engage in intercourse and would produce a young man like him. “The men of renown [ shem ]” – Rabbi Aḥa said: [Job said, of the wicked:] “They are loathsome people and also people without name ” (Job 30:8), and here you say, [of the generation of the Flood:] “The men of name”? However, it is because they brought desolation [ hishimu ] to the world, they were annihilated [ hushamu ] from the world, and they caused the world to become desolate [ yishom ]. Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: Men whose names were articulated above. It is as Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said; all these names are expressions of rebellion: “Irad” (Genesis 4:18) – ‘I will expel [ ored ] them from the world’; “Meḥuyael” (Genesis 4:18) – ‘I will eradicate [ moḥeh ] them from the world’; “Metushael” (Genesis 4:18) – ‘I will uproot [ matish ] them from the world’; [“Lemekh” (Genesis 4:18)] – ‘What do I have to do with Lemekh – what need do I have of you? and his offspring?’ Rabbi Yoḥanan said: “They are the mighty who were from ancient times, the men of renown” – who detailed their actions? It was [Job’s friends,] Elifaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Tzofar the Naamatite. Rabbi says: Had the book of Job come to the world only to detail for us the deeds of the [generation of the] Flood, it would have been sufficient. Rabbi Ḥanin said: Had Elihu come to the world only to explain to us the process of rainfall, it would have been sufficient, as Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Every time “ ora ” is mentioned by Elihu it refers only to rainfall. Rabbi Hoshaya Rabba said: It refers only to the giving of the Torah, just as it says: “For the commandment is a lamp and the Torah is light [ or ]” (Proverbs 6:23). Rabbi Aḥa said in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi: Contention is as troublesome as the generation of the Flood. Here “men of renown” is stated, and elsewhere [concerning Koraḥ’s rebellion]: “Distinguished of the convocation, men of renown” (Numbers 16:2) is stated. Just as “men of renown” stated there refers to contention, so, too, “men of renown” stated here refers to contention.